‘No pilot shortage, no hiring freeze’: IndiGo starts root cause review in disruptions amid DGCA notice

IndiGo has initiated a full “root cause analysis” into the sweeping flight disruptions that have hit its network over the past five days, with a senior airline official saying on Sunday that operations are gradually stabilising and are expected to return to full normalcy by December 10. 

The official said the cancellations stemmed from a “combination of factors,” including the rollout of the second phase of new Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms for pilots, which took effect on November 1 and limit the number of night landings. “We will need a root cause analysis, which will obviously take time... the disruptions happened due to a combination of factors and which factor played how much role (will be known after the root cause analysis),” the official told PTI. 

'No pilot shortage, no hiring freeze' 

Pushing back against speculation that an inadequate pilot pool triggered the crisis, the official insisted the airline has enough cockpit crew. “Our pilot numbers are fine while we may not have the luxury of having a buffer,” he said. He also clarified there is “no hiring freeze,” countering concerns that a lean-operating model may have contributed to the disruption. 

IndiGo — which typically operates about 2,300 flights a day — has been cancelling hundreds of services since Tuesday. The official said the situation improved on December 7, with cancellations declining and operations expected to cross 1,650 flights, up from 1,500 on December 6. 

Acknowledging the turbulence of the past week, the official noted the experience will serve as a learning curve. “We are normalising operations and full stability in operations is expected by December 10,” he said. 

Responding to questions about why rival carriers have not faced similar FDTL-linked challenges, the official said, “For whatever reason, they had a better buffer than IndiGo in terms of the number of pilots. We did not have the same kind of buffer. But that does not mean that there is a question of inadequacy, no. These are two different things.” 

DGCA issues show-cause notices 

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued show-cause notices to IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers and Accountable Manager Isidro Porqueras, seeking explanations for the disruptions. Failure to provide a satisfactory response could lead to penalties. 

IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers on December 7 said the airline is “getting back” after days of mass cancellations and delays, with around 1,650 flights expected to operate through the day as efforts to stabilise the network continue.

In an internal video message to staff from the airline’s operational control centre, Elbers said IndiGo’s On Time Performance (OTP) is expected to reach 75 percent today. “Today, we have realised further improvements of the system in order to reach around 1,650 flights,” he said, adding that “step by step, we are getting back”.

Asked whether the chaos could have been avoided, the official said the airline will evaluate that only after completing its internal assessment. “We will do our root cause analysis... we will do that and then we will come to know (what was the) planning lapse, if at all.” 

Prepared for fog season 

Looking ahead, IndiGo said it is fully prepared for the upcoming winter fog season. “There are adequate number of aircraft and pilots. We are confident of managing the fog season,” the official said. The airline continues to work on restoring normal operations amid a week of severe delays, long queues, and passenger frustration across major airports.

(With inputs from PTI)